An Imperial Affliction
by Nico is MiNe
Summary: MY FrIEND ALEX WROTE THIS FOR SCHOOL AND JUST READ IT.


John Green's Style

The way I find it, everybody receives a miracle. Like, you could win the lottery or get struck by lightning and survive. For others, the miracle may seem small, but to them means the world. For me, that miracle was Jonathan Michael Spinburg. Jonathan Michael Spinburg lived exactly 2 meters north and 4 meters west of my house. When we were kids we used to go to the park, we would swing for hours. The graveyard was across the street and, since we were kids, decided to go in, and there lay one lady, always in the same spot, who brought some man's grave flowers. She seemed somewhat young, maybe 16, and considering the fact that most axe murders are not 16, we decided to visit her, but of course I chickened out. Since Jonathan Michael Spinburg was a daredevil, we were to go on his birthday, three months since we had first seen the lady in the middle of the graveyard. The lady was still there when we came back, she was slumped over, probably in prayer, but when I finally got the nerve to touch her, she jerked back and landed on the back of her head, not breathing, eyes open, one book flipped open to a page that said, "As the tide washed in, the Dutch Tulip Man faced the ocean: 'Conjoiner rejoinder poisoner concealer revelator. Look at it, rising up and rising down, taking everything with it."

"What's that?" I asked.

"Water," the Dutchman said. "Well, and time."

As I continued to read, I found my name, Anna, appearing several times on the page. The book was some sort of affliction. Imperios or something like that. I still remember that book, the jagged edges, the wet marks from tears that stained the page. The lady still lays next to her boyfriend, although now in a coffin, I have never been back, I feel bad because the police said she had no family.

Jonathan Michael Spinburg burst music every morning, which was fine, but he had a convertible, which meant the rest of the neighborhood could hear _Blurred Lines_, a song that, even without the convertible, was a crime to humanity. Every morning I would wake up 20 minutes before he would drive, put on all of my clothes, including the two year old Converse, and walked out the door just as Jonathan Michael Spinburg came shooting down his driveway and made a very sharp right turn that ended with a piece of clothing, usually his girlfriend's, shooting out of the passenger seat of the car, resulting in a somewhat offensive curse word and the car screeching to a halt as he opened the door and stepped out to put the article of clothing in the trunk. This was not because of the fact that it kept flying out, but for the reason that one of his other 4 girlfriends would likely find the article of clothing, although none of them probably had enough brains to figure that it was not their piece of clothing, Jen would probably think it was her boyfriend's. Jonathan Michael Spinburg was not only a daredevil, but a cheater.

This was clearly seen from my first floor bedroom, which was very close to his house. Every day of the school week was a different girl, since his parents were both surgeons and worked until around ten, Jen on Monday, Abby on Tuesday, Charity on Wednesday, Liv on Thursday, and Savannah on Friday, all of whom were not bright. Weekends were for what was referred to as " hanging with my bros" which I was not so fond of. I often opened my window, hopeful to catch a hint of conversation. As I did on every Friday night, I layed in bed with a book in my hands. My window is open for tommorrow so that I can hear what he has to say to his friends, also for the spurts that come out of Savannah's 1983 Chevy, she was a bit of a tomboy, but her car didn't come, even 1 hour after she should have arrived. At 10:32, the trees rustle as the breeze that only comes at the end of August drifts through my window and kisses my face.

As soon as I am about to fall asleep, the door to my room opens, a male figure in the door. Not my father. Jonathan Michael Spinburg. He stands in the doorway, taking my hand and dragging me out of my window as soon as I can slip the tips of my feet into my Converse. The streetlamps illuminate the sidewalks like fireflies. As we dart down the street, I know exactly where we are going.

The gravestones of the lady and her boyfriend sit a meter away from Jonathan Michael Spinburg and me. Jonathan Michael Spinburg takes a book from his sweatshirt and says, "Here Anna, this is for you." I grab the book and turn it over in my hands until he hands me hands flashlight. At the sound of the click, I read the title of the book. _An Imperial Affliction_ reads in large red letters at the top of the page. I flip through I find a note:

_Dear Hazel Grace Lancaster,_

_I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Augustus was a great man. I understand that his step brother Jonathan Spinburg was at the funeral. Jonathan was Anna's boyfriend. He also has cancer although his is in his colon. He wants to meet you, I have shared your story with him. Please welcome him into your world. His cancer cannot be cured quickly. He has frequent periods of time that he loses weight rapidly, this a result of the cancer and be sure to hydrate him. He can manage his radiation. A support group will visit him on the weekends. Make sure he has a girlfriend, he gets depressed easily. I hope you become healthy again. I do Hazel, I do._

_- Peter Van Houten_

I look up at Jonathan Michael Spinburg. We kiss. His lips feel like the breeze that had kissed me earlier.


End file.
